Parliament had gained the day, would be sequestrated, although such
was not yet the case; and the tenants were unwilling to pay, to those
who were not authorized to receive, the rents which they might be
again called upon to make good. Miss Judith Villiers, therefore, found
it difficult to maintain the present household; and although she did
not tell Jacob Armitage that such was the case, the fact was, that
very often the venison which he brought to the mansion was all the
meat that was in the larder. The three female servants held the
offices of cook, attendant upon Miss Villiers, and housemaid; the
children being under the care of no particular servant, and left much
to themselves. There had been a chaplain in the house, but he had
quitted before the death of Mrs. Beverley, and the vacancy had not
been filled up; indeed, it could not well be, for the one who left had
not received his salary for many months, and Miss Judith Villiers,
expecting every day to be summoned by her relations to bring the
children and join them, sat in her high chair waiting for the arrival
of this summons, which, from the distracted state of the times, had
never come.

As we have before said, the orphans were four in number; the two
eldest were boys, and the youngest were girls. Edward, the eldest boy,
was between thirteen and fourteen years old; Humphrey, the second, was
twelve; Alice, eleven; and Edith, eight. As it is the history of these
young persons which we are about to narrate, we shall say little about
them at present, except that for many months they had been under
little or no restraint, and less attended to. Their companions were
Benjamin, the man who remained in the house, and old Jacob Armitage,
who passed all the time he could spare with them. Benjamin was rather
weak in intellect, and was a source of amusement rather than
otherwise. As for the female servants, one was wholly occupied with